As the complexity of computer data centers has increased, so has the complexity of the tools used by field service technicians working in the data centers. Data centers often include one or more racks of equipment (servers, storage devices, etc.) that the technician services. Technicians often need to perform a wide variety of diagnostic tests on such equipment. Many vendors have opted to implement their test tools in software running on laptop computers with conventional operating systems (e.g., Microsoft Windows). A laptop computer usable as a test device allows the technician to have many of the necessary diagnostic tools at his or her disposal on a single hardware platform, thus avoiding the need to transport multiple pieces of test equipment to the customer site.
A laptop computer, however, requires a power source to operate. Although a data center would seem to be a place where alternating current (AC) power outlets would be plentiful, such outlets are not always available where needed by the technician. For example, although an equipment rack may have more than one AC outlet, the outlets may be located within the rack and blocked by electrical cables and thus difficult to access by the technician. Those AC outlets that are easily accessible may all already be in use for other reasons. The technician could run his service laptop computer on battery power, but doing so limits the time for which the technician can use the laptop.